Electrical connections to printed circuit boards are accomplished in several ways. Connections are made through soldering components directly to pads or traces on the printed circuit board, through card edge connections to an electrical connector which is integral to another device or circuit board, and also between a header mounted on the printed circuit board and an electrical connector such as a plug at the end of a wire harness.
A problem arises when using a header connection in that the header must be mechanically mounted to the printed circuit board so as to resist breaking caused by a pulling force on the wire harness. Currently, this problem is addressed by mechanically securing the harness plug connector directly to the printed circuit board through fasteners such as bolts or screws. This type of arrangement is not easily disconnectable and also requires additional board real estate for the fasteners. It is therefore desirable to secure the header connector to the printed circuit board and establish electrical connection to the harness plug connector with sufficient mechanical retention to prevent separation or breaking of either the header connector or the harness plug connector.